{"podcast":{"title":"The Strategists","slug":"the-strategists-1246142","podcast_index_feed_id":1246142,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/624b672001207c001233d4a6","website_url":"https://thestrategists.ca/","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/624b672001207c001233d4a6/1741475456033-751c0f99-c064-4dce-8441-7b3aae9c0210.jpeg","author":"The Strategists Media Corporation","episode_count":96,"summary":"Professional unprofessional strategists Stephen Carter, Zain Velji, and Shannon Phillips break down the news of the day. Not just what’s happening, but how it’s being played. Policy is one thing. Politics is another. The show dissects the strategy behind the headlines: what governments are doing, why it matters, and the political incentives driving every move. They don't tell you what to think. They make you harder to spin. Originally hosted with Corey Hogan (now inside the machine), The Strategists now anchors a growing podcast network: •⁠ ⁠The Strategists — weekly strategy, sharp takes, and questionable professionalism •⁠ ⁠Ministry of Podcasts — Corey Hogan reports from inside Parliament •⁠ ⁠Balance of Power — Annalise Klingbeil, Shannon Phillips, and Leah Ward bring a distinct lens to power and politics Described as “shockingly insightful” and “sports talk radio for politics.” Not sponsored by Flair Airlines. Get bonus episodes and more at strategistspatreon.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T08:22:46.001249+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategists-1246142"},"episode":{"title":"Episode 4027: Normie Goes National","slug":"episode-4027-normie-goes-national","published_at":"2026-04-28T02:34:14+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategists-1246142/episode-4027-normie-goes-national","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategists-1246142","url":"https://shows.acast.com/strategistspod/episodes/episode-4027-normie-goes-national","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/624b672001207c001233d4a6/e/69f01ca926249124d5709eff/media.mp3","summary":"Stephen Carter, Shannon Phillips, and Producer Haxim talk about what happens when a weekend joke turns into a national political story. After Producer Haxim launches his satirical Alberta referendum site and “becomes a podcaster,” the crew breaks down why the government’s referendum campaign feels more like a persuasion machine than public education. They also dig into Carter’s Alberta Liberal Party referendum plan, and whether the rules were quietly changed to shut it down. Shannon Phillips discusses her article for Forward Weekly on how the Alberta NDP lost its advantage and how it might win it back. Is Alberta’s referendum fight really about the questions on the ballot? Can a political party raise money around an idea instead of a candidate? And how many headlines before Haxim starts asking for his own comms team? Zain Velji, as always, picks the questions and keeps everybody in line. Get your tickets for the May 9th live show at https://strategistslive.ca/ Mentioned in this episode: Producer Haxim's Referendumb Site https://albertareferendumb2026.ca Shannon's Forward Weekly Article https://archive.forwardweekly.ca/?issue=05 Join our Patreon for ad-free episodes, bonus episodes, and access to our exclusive Discord. https://www.patreon.com/c/strategistspod You can also watch our episodes on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/@strategistspod Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Stephen Carter, Shannon Phillips, and Producer Haxim talk about what happens when a weekend joke turns into a national political story. After Producer Hax…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3450,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-strategists-1246142/episodes/episode-4027-normie-goes-national/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strategists-1246142/episode-4027-normie-goes-national.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}